Modern facilities often need and/or use some form of an electronic/automated/remote entry system to control entrance/access to the facility. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, such facilities/physical locations include apartment complexes, gated communities, condominium buildings, private residences, college resident halls, office buildings, factories, industrial sites, athletic clubs, and other secured locations. Among other things, such entry systems can provide a necessary or helpful level of security for the controlled location, as well as other benefits.
Also by way of example and not by way of limitation, one type of access control system or entry system commonly in use at present is a telephone entry system (TES). These TES systems include at least one telephone line operatively connected to the system to provide a communication and/or control means between the TES system and persons wanting to gain and/or allow access to the location. Among other applications, these TES systems are commonly mounted adjacent the entrances of physical locations such as the entrances of buildings and/or at vehicle gates into complexes. The telephone line permits persons such as visitors to dial a specific resident within a complex, for example, and permits a resident to enter a code (such as by pressing a number on their telephone) to open a gate controlled by the TES entry system and/or unlock a TES-controlled door, etc. at which the visitor is waiting.
In addition to enabling tenants or residents to remotely open a gate/door for a visitor, such entry systems can provide security and access control in other ways. For example, tenants are commonly given passcodes (which can be entered at a keypad on or near the entry), proximity cards, remote “rolling code” transceivers, or other devices. These are some of the wide variety of technologies that exist and/or are being developed to allow those tenants (or other persons to whom such authorizations and/or devices are given) access to a particular facility, building, complex, community, or similar physical location.
Such entry systems can control entry at one or more entry points (for example, doors, gates, garage doors, gates, and similar structures) associated with a particular secured location, complex or facility, for example. The entry system may also monitor the connected/controlled entry points for unauthorized access, keep records of persons entering or leaving a secured area, and/or perform other functions. The secured areas can include a complex generally and/or specific areas of a complex (such as a swimming pool or community clubhouse/entertainment area).
Such controlled installations commonly involve a plurality of tenants, residents, visitors, vendors, or other users who need access into and/or out of a controlled area. Each of these authorized users can have associated codes/passwords/signaling devices/telephone numbers (for visitors to dial to request entry), and/or other data that must be available to enable the convenient and desired entry and exit in the secured area, while maintaining the desired security. Both the users and their control devices and related information can be varied and changing, such as when tenants move out and/or into the facility.
To manage all of that information, these systems typically include an electronic database. In many early systems, the data/database resided only on the gate controller or door controller unit itself. To update and maintain that data, the end user had to physically go to that control point/system and manually enter/update the data (typically via a keypad).
More recently, and especially as personal computers have become readily available and more economic, these entry systems have evolved to allow end users to manage the data/database from a “remote” location, rather than having to go to the control point/TES system itself and manually update the data. These improved systems allow the end users to manage their respective database without having to be “at” the access control device (gate/door controller, etc.). Commonly, this was accomplished by including in a remote database management/control system an analog modem at the control point (commonly built into the door/gate controller itself), with the modem providing a way to upload/download/maintain data in the relevant database, without having to be “at” the physical site of the TES. During installation, the telephone line at the control point (the one that was already needed and used to allow visitors to “call” tenants to obtain entrance to the facility) also is connected to the modem. This arrangement typically allows such systems to provide both the telephone and modem functions on that single line, because the amount of time needed for modem activity over the telephone line (for database maintenance) typically is relatively small. Thus, without adding to the existing monthly telephone line charges for the control system, the end user can enjoy the benefits of remotely managing the database information on the control system.
As indicated above, such “remote” control systems need a way to communicate between the end user's system and the controller box or unit located “remotely” from the end user. Typically, the necessary data update is provided by establishing direct communication between two analog modems. This may be accomplished via a modem on an end user's personal computer or “server” modem to which the end user's personal computer connects to dial directly into the modem on the remote controller. Thus, typical prior art communication occurs directly over a conventional telephone line, between (1) the user modem or modem to which the user connects, and (2) the controller modem. These prior art systems are described in DoorKing's above-referenced patent and application, and are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
For several reasons, setting up and maintaining the desired data/database communication through that conventional pathway ((1) user modem/(2) telephone line/(3) controller modem) can be complicated, and notably, the technology which supports that conventional modem-modem communication pathway has become outdated as technology has evolved. Among other things, many computer manufacturers no longer install hardware modems on general purpose computers, and instead use software that simulates modems. Newer technologies provide faster, more reliable data connections than the analog modem and thus, these technologies such as fiber optics, DSL, and others are replacing conventional analog modems and manufacturers are phasing out production of modems.
Another issue for communicating using analog modems is the demise of the telephone land line. As technology continues to advance, the archaic telephone land line is being phased out in favor of newer technologies such as cellular, voice over IP, fiber optic, and cable, among others. Among other things, land lines conventionally used for TES installations can be relatively unsightly and/or complicated to bury underground or route to/from the TES location, and can be subject to water, weather, and/or other damage.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods and apparatus that improve and/or simplify the installation and maintenance and use of TES systems and the communication of data to and from such systems.